Prior to my appearance on his show last night, John Fugelsang and I were talking about the pope, and specifically, about how this one was going to drive us absolutely crazy. (Raised in the church, Fugelsang is the most Scripturally literate comedian who ever lived. I guarantee you, the man knows more Bible than Ralph Reed and Gary Bauer combined.) On the one hand, Francis is awful on women's issues; he's continuing the inexcusable crackdown on American nuns. On the other hand, in Argentina, when he had no earthly reason to do so, he backed the idea of civil unions for gay couples. And then there's no question that he takes the gospel's mission to the poorestamong us seriously.

"A headline that really struck me on the day of the tragedy in Bangladesh was 'Living on 38 euros a month'. That is what the people who died were being paid. This is called slave labour," the pope was quoted as saying at a private mass. "Today in the world this slavery is being committed against something beautiful that God has given us — the capacity to create, to work, to have dignity. How many brothers and sisters find themselves in this situation!" he said. "Not paying fairly, not giving a job because you are only looking at balance sheets, only looking at how to make a profit. That goes against God!" he was quoted as saying. "There are many people who want to work but cannot. When a society is organised in a way that not everyone is given the chance to work, that society is not just," he said.

Give me a Democratic party in this country that talks like that, and I'll buy how important "faith" is to our politicians. Also, I think it's time for Matt Yglesias to go to confession now.